How Does IT play into Remote Working?
When the COVID-19 pandemic started preventing people from coming to the office, working from home became the norm. Now, more than a year after the start of the pandemic, many companies are sticking with remote or hybrid models. Evidence suggests that this trend will continue even after the pandemic effects have subsided since employees and employers alike have taken a fancy to remote working operations.
In many cases, technology has had difficulty keeping up with such a rapid shift in working norms. As companies embrace remote and hybrid working solutions, they need their computer software and digital systems to remain just as effective as ever. A quick overview of how businesses responded to the pandemic shows the importance of considering IT when developing a hybrid working environment.
Issues With Technology At Start Of Pandemic
When the pandemic first struck with such little warning, many businesses lacked the IT infrastructure necessary to adopt remote working models. Most offices were using on-premise software that employees could not easily access from home. Companies that already had cloud-based software fared better since workers could reliably and securely connect from their home offices.
Security Concerns When Employees Work From Home
The rapid switch to remote work also posed severe security challenges. In their haste to renew operations after the original shutdown, many companies looked for the quickest way to start working remotely. Many of these solutions lacked security measures that businesses need to keep their data and systems safe. Without multi-factor authentication and secure data transmission procedures, these hastily-constructed models were unacceptably vulnerable.
Necessary Technology For A Permanent Shift To Hybrid Models
To safely and effectively incorporate remote work as a significant component of an overall business model, companies need to invest in certain IT products. For one thing, businesses should present their employees with company-owned computers. Allowing workers to access company systems from their own devices presents serious security issues since there’s no way to account for the protections in place on each device.
Companies should also invest in cloud-based software that allows for a paperless workplace. Not only will employees be working from home without access to copy machines, but leaving printouts lying around at home poses a security threat. Secure tools for closing deals and signing documents electronically will allow employees to conduct essential business activities from their homes safely.
Security Considerations
Having employees working from home complicates the cybersecurity landscape. Instead of simply protecting data within the office space, companies now have to concern themselves with data that’s traveling to the homes of all their employees. This creates a complicated situation in which innumerable endpoints for the systems exist. With no way to control the individual devices, each of which is its endpoint, companies need to invest in robust security solutions that can handle remote work dynamism.
Web-based software in the cloud rather than on individual devices is a safer, more efficient option for a hybrid workplace. Companies should also implement multi-factor authentication for all their systems and contract an IT company accustomed to providing remote security. With the right IT solutions, a remote or hybrid model can be both secure and effective.
A Better Way to Close with BNN Services
Since 2008, BNN Services has been trusted by title agencies, mortgage lenders, servicers, and consumers to perform loan and document signings in multiple languages across the country.
Unlike other signing services, BNN Services “touches” every file 8 or 9 times to ensure the process moves forward free of delays. That’s why we’ve completed over 250,000 signings in all 51 jurisdictions and maintained a closing ratio of 96 percent.
Ready to experience the BNN Services difference? Get started today!